The Semipostal Authorization Act, Pub. L. 106253, grants the U.S. Postal Service discretionary authority to issue and sell semipostal stamps to advance such causes as it considers to be ''in the national public interest and appropriate.''

The U.S. Postal Service recently announced that in November it will issue the first of five stamps.

Under the semipostal discretionary program, the Postal Service will issue five stamps over a 10-year period, with each stamp to be sold for no more than two years.

The first stamp issued will be an Alzheimer's Semipostal Stamp, followed by a Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Semipostal Stamp in 2019. The next three discretionary semipostal stamps have not yet been determined.

The Alzheimer's Semipostal Stamp will be issued during National Alzheimer's Awareness Month. Net proceeds will be distributed to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Details on issuance date and location will be provided at a later date.

President Ronald Reagan designated November as National Alzheimer's Disease Awareness Month in 1983. At the time, fewer than two million Americans were diagnosed with Alzheimer's; today, that number has soared to nearly 5.4 million.

Semipostal stamps, currently sold for 60-cents, are First-Class Mail postage stamps that are issued and sold by the Postal Service at a price above the FCM single-piece one-ounce stamp rate to raise funds for designated causes.

The difference between the FCM rate in effect at the time of purchase and the 60-cent purchase price, minus an amount to offset costs incurred by the Postal Service, if any, is contributed to the specific cause by law.

Under the Semipostal Authorization Act, the Postal Service will consider proposals for future semipostals until seven years after May 20, 2016. The Federal Register notice outlining this program can be found online at www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-04-20/pdf/2016-09081.pdf.

Proposals will only be considered if they meet all submission requirements and selection criteria. They may be submitted by mail to the following address: Office of Stamp Services, Attn: Semipostal Discretionary Program, 475 L'Enfant Plaza S.W., Room 3300, Washington, DC 202603501.

Suggestions may also be submitted in a single Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file sent by email to semipostal@usps.gov. Indicate in the subject line: Semipostal Discretionary Program.

All postage stamps are available for purchase at post offices, online at usps.com, and by toll-free phone order at 1-800-STAMP-24 (782-6724)